The Dornish Princess
by TheLadyClegane
Summary: The final moments and thoughts of the Princess Elia Martell, during the Sack of King's Landing.


WARNING: This fanfictions deals with cannonical violence, such as murder and rape, mentioned on the books. However, if you believe this fanfiction could upset you somehow, please, do not read it.

I do not own any of the characters or places mentioned in the fic, those belong to George RR Martin.

 _The bells were ringing._

Ever since King Aerys had opened the city gates, the bells of Baelor's Sept had rang and rang and rang. Hour after hour, ringing like a gargantual yelling, alerting the kingslanders, warning them that the war had finally reached their city. Elia gathered her skirts and began to climb the infinite stairs to her chambers on Maegor's keep, fighting the tears with all the strength she had left. _We could be safe in Dragonstone,_ she thought. _We could be safe in Sunspear._ Thinking of her family made her want to wept all over again. Her mother had been dead since before Rhaenys was even born, and now her dear uncle as well. Sweet uncle Lewyn, who had been by her side all of her life, even after she wed Rhaegar. _My brave uncle, so handsome all in white._ Varys had told her that Aerys wouldn't let her go with the queen and prince Viserys to Dragonstone to keep her uncle Lewyn and the dornishmen faithful to the Targaryens, even more after Rhaegar was killed.

 _Oh, Rhaegar..._

She still could not believe he was dead. She didn't want to. _Aegon won't remember your face,_ thought Elia, sadly _. Maybe not even Rhaenys._

This time the tears ran freely down her cheeks. Oh, but what did it matter? She had wept and begged and cried in the throne room, in front of all court, all in vain. _Not even for the sake of my children, not even for his heir_. Maybe Aerys wanted them dead, so his second son may sit on the Iron Throne. _There is no love between the prince and his father,_ her mother had told her, right before she married Rhaegar. _I knew it then, but I never thought Rhaegar wouldn't be here to protect me, to protect us._

On her distraction, she tripped and fell, smashing her knee on the step. One of her maids ran to help her up, but Elia dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

"You all should be joining the women in the Great Sept" said Elia to the three women "You'll be safe there, not even the most savage soldier would dare to touch you in the sight of the gods. Tell them, septa." The woman just shook her head.

"We won't leave you, my lady" said Septa Jynessa.

"I can't offer you protection" said Elia, close to tears once more. The rebels may keep her and her children alive, but they would never think twice before raping or murdering a simple maid, or a commonborn septa.

"Do not worry about us, my lady" said sweet Marya, the youngest of her maids. She took Elia's hands on her own, and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"Thank you" said Elia, weakly. She turned and kept climbing the steps, with her three women following closely behind. When they finally reached her chamber, she stopped abruptly. Something was odd, but she couldn't quite tell what was it.

"The bells" whispered Marya "The bells have stopped"

The girl was right. Not even the Great Sept is safe from the ravaging rebels, thought Elia. For an absourd moment Elia wondered if the Lannister soldiers had killed the bell-ringer as well. "Guards!" she called, and the five men at her door turned at her command "The ladies and I will take refuge in my chamber, with my children. I command you to protect us, to protect your prince's children."

"We will do so, my lady" replayed Jerome, the tallest of the men. He spoke with the accents of the Rhoynar, and had guarded Elia's door since she was a little girl in the Old Palace. _My loyal dornishman. If only you were a White Cloak. If only you were my dear uncle._ Elia gave a sad smile to the man, as she put a hand on his armored shoulder.

"You have my thanks, brave sers. May the Warrior give strength to your arms." One of the guards held the door open.

"Bar the door once you are all inside, my lady" suggested Jerome in a low voice. Elia turned her head, and met the man's eyes right before he donned his half-helm, and the door closed.

"Mother, have mercy on us" whispered Elia.

"My lady" called urgently Septa Jynessa. "The man is right, we should bar the door" Elia turned to meet the septa's eyes, but found herself looking at the wetnurse instead. She was holding Aegon on her arms, her baby a bundle of sheets, fast asleep. The woman seemed terribly distressed, tears falling like rivers down her cheeks, as she hugged the little prince against her body.

"What is it, woman?" asked Elia, suddenly full of dread. The wetnurse sobbed, and pointed at the door the two maids were trying to bar.

"T-The... The.. The princess. She got scared, and..." She let go a loud sob. They could hear someone rushing on the stairs, their armors clacking and clattering "She... she ran, when the guards were with the Commander downstairs" Elia felt as she was about to faint.

"Where is my daughter?" she asked, hearing her own voice breaking. The woman broke into tears, and Elia turned to stop the maids. "Do not bar the door!" she screamed, pushing aside young Marya. Outside, the men were already fighting, their steel song playing "We need to go find Rhaenys!" she grabbed the heavy oaken door by the bronze ring latch, and pulled.

"My lady, DO NOT!" managed to yell the Septa. Elia let go a scream. Outside, the carnage was running its course. Two of her guards were already dead; one of them had been cut from shoulder to hip, his entrails spread on the stone floor as purple shiny snakes. The other three were fighting still, against two men and a giant. Elia felt someone pulling her inside the chamber once more, and right before the door closed, she saw the giant raising his sword and taking off poor Jerome's head with a savage movement. The head crashed against the already closed door with a thump. Elia was on the floor, thought she did not remember falling. She only turned her head, and retched on the myrish carpet. _Rhaenys, my child. Hide, hide and stay hidden until this madness is done_. She felt hot tears on her eyes, and sobbed some and she heard a man pleading for his life. _Merciful Mother, protect my daughter. She's a babe still._ Septa Jynessa offered her a hand, and helped her up. The two maids somehow had managed to bar the door, and were now taking their places besides Elia. Elia felt ill as she saw blood slowly pooling by the oaken door, and the screams of the dying men.

Suddenly, silence followed. Elia could hear a man giving orders "Hide the prince!" said Elia to the wetnurse, urgently "Quickly now, under the bed!" The woman nodded, mute with fear, but she obeyed.

"There is still the door, my lady" muttered Marya "It's a strong door, it will hold until more loyal men come to defend us, there is no need to..." The girl jumped, as they heard a loud bang on the door. _An axe_ , thought Elia with despair. The axe smashed against the door again and again... and then, Elia heard Aegon's cries. She turned to look to the bed, under which her son was hidden. _It is no good,_ she told herself, desperate. She wanted to rip her own hair and scream. _If they hear, they will know he's here._

"Gentle Mother, font of mercy" prayed Septa Jynessa, making the sign of the Seven. Another terrible bang made the door tremble "Father, protect us!"

Marya screamed as another bang sent splinters to their faces. Elia rose a hand to protect her eyes, as a second bang broke the wood. _They are coming. They are coming for us._ A third bang almost split the bar in half.

But the next thing that hit the door was not the axe, but the massive armored giant's shoulder, charging to the door. Septa Jynessa placed herself in front of Elia, spreading her arms to protect her.

"There is no need for this violence!" yelled the septa to the three men "We are only women, and the princess is of the highest birth" she continued saying, but the men did not even seemed to hear. The giant took a look around, searching the room. _Please, sweet Aegon, do not make a sound._ "The Prince of Dorne will ransom her..."

"They are not here" interrupted the giant "Go look on the Prince's chamber, Lorch" the man nodded and left.

"Good sers, if you'll only listen..." the giant rose his sword, bored, and gutted the septa. Elia's eyes went wide with fear, as she saw her septa bleed herself to dead. The other knight had grabbed one of the maids by her hair, and slashed at her throat with his dagger. The giant turned his head to Elia, without lifting his visor...

And then, Aegon let go a cry.

The giant made a gesture to the other knight, and went looking under the bed.

"NO!" screamed Joanna, trying to go after them, but Marya held her.

"No, my lady!" she muttered to her ear "You run, now!" she urged, pushing Elia towards the door. But the men were just dragging the wetnurse from under the bed, as the woman kicked and screamed. "Please, my lady! Go!" The smaller man forced the wetnurse up by her hair, and the giant took Aegon from her hands, and smashed his little head against the wall.

Elia screamed, clawing at her own face. The two men turned, and Marya pulled Elia with all her strength, trying to drag her out of the chamber. Elia could not breath, screaming still. The air seemed as solid as a stone wall, all the sound of the world gone. The knight spat, and stabbed the wetnurse between her breasts.

Elia barely saw when the knight began to rape little Marya against the wall. She hardly felt the savage blow the giant gave her with his mailed fist, sending her to the floor. It wasn't until she felt the armor cutting her inner tights that she realized she was being raped. She saw Marya's lifeless body hitting the floor, her throat a red ruin. She saw the septa's blood soaking her hair and the back of her gown. But none of it mattered. All she could think of was the pair of shiny eyes that watched her from below the bed, unblinking.

 _Balerion, sweet Rhaenys called him._ That almost made her laugh, to think of the cat's absurd name. _Rhaegar told her Rhaenys' dragon had been Meraxes, but she did not care. Her kitten was black, so would be called Balerion._ The giant took her bloody head on his hands, pulling up.

 _Go find Rhaenys, Balerio_ n, was Elia's final thought, as the giant smashed her against the floor.


End file.
